A police pursuit in Los Angeles went horribly wrong, leaving a suspect dead, and the news anchors providing live commentary in shock.
The pursuit got underway on Monday night, Oct. 20, in the Highland Park neighborhood of the city.
LAPD cruisers were pursuing a man suspected of driving a stolen work van through the city, when he drove onto the Arroyo Seco (110 Freeway) in Chinatown.
CBS Los Angeles news anchors Juan Fernandez and Suzie Suh were on set offering a play-by-play of the chase, when suddenly the suspect ditched the van on the freeway in the Mount Washington area.
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Mediaite recorded the station’s live coverage and posted it online.
The TV station’s SkyCal helicopter was following the pursuit along. The pilot described the person driving as “slamming on the brakes and trying to get out.”
The news anchors were stunned and exclaimed, “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” as the suspect pulled up next to the center divider and climbed out of the still-moving van.
The man then tried to escape by jumping over the median, and running across the busy freeway.
Within 2 or 3 seconds, he was struck by a fast-moving vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.
The station quickly cut away from the scene to the news anchors in studio. “Oh my God! Oh no!” Fernandez shouted.
Someone else could be heard yelling for the helicopter pilot not to show the man’s body on live TV. “Stay wide, stay wide! He got hit,” the person said.
Fernandez appeared stunned, grabbed his head, and sighed.
The situation unfolded so quickly, that Suh tried to explain to viewers what was happening. “We just saw the person who was being pursued get out of their car and actually get hit by another speeding car on the other side of the freeway,” she said.
The Los Angeles Times reported the suspect was “struck by multiple vehicles” as news cameras “broadcast the chase live on TV.”
LAPD spokesman, Officer Drake Madison, confirmed to the paper that the van was believed to be stolen and said the driver “refused to pull over for officers.”
The individual was pronounced dead at the scene. Meantime, local media outlets reported the freeway was shut down “for hours” while the California Highway Patrol investigated.
It’s common for news stations in Los Angeles carry police pursuits live. There’s so much interest in the chases that people download apps to get notifications letting them know when a pursuit is underway.
CBS LA did not post the video on its homepage, instead you can watch the coverage below from NBC4.
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